If you’ve ever stared into the face of Rick Sanchez for more than five seconds, you've probably noticed it. The eyes aren’t right. Most cartoons give characters clean, circular dots or shiny ovals for pupils. Not here. In the multiverse of Rick and Morty, everyone walks around with these jagged, wobbly, asterisk-shaped blotches in the center of their eyes.
Honestly, it’s one of those things you can’t unsee once you notice it. It makes the characters look constantly stressed, slightly caffeinated, or like they’ve just witnessed the heat death of the universe. Which, to be fair, they usually have.
But why? Is it a lore thing? Is it some weird side effect of portal travel? Or did the animators just get lazy?
The "Scribbled" Secret Behind the Design
The truth is actually way more chaotic than a simple "animation style choice." These jagged pupils are a direct relic from the show’s absolute disaster of a beginning. Before Rick and Morty was a multi-million dollar franchise on Adult Swim, it was a crude, intentionally offensive short film called The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti.
Justin Roiland created it back in 2006. He drew it quickly, sloppily, and mostly just to mess with the lawyers at Universal by making a grotesque parody of Back to the Future. In that original short, the drawing was so rough that the pupils were literally just scribbles. Just quick, shaky pen marks.
When the show finally got picked up and developed into the polished version we see today, the production team faced a choice. They could "fix" the eyes and make them perfect circles like The Simpsons or Family Guy.
They didn't.
They kept the "scribble" look because it felt more human—or maybe more accurately, more unhinged. Roiland has famously described them in interviews and DVD commentaries as looking like "buttholes." It’s a crude comparison, but look at them again. He’s not wrong. That "asterisk" shape is a tiny piece of the show's DNA that reminds us it started as a middle finger to the industry.
It’s Actually a "Fuzzyball"
There is a technical term for these things in the production office. They call them fuzzyballs.
Wait, it gets weirder. In the early days of the show, there was a strict rule about how these were drawn. You can’t just put a random star in the eye. It’s a specific, messy cluster. Interestingly, these pupils actually react to the character's emotions in a way that regular circles can’t.
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When a character is high, poisoned, or having a total existential meltdown, the "scribble" changes. If you watch closely during scenes where characters are under mind control—like in the "Rick Potion #9" episode—the pupils often smooth out or change shape entirely. This suggests that the asterisk shape is the "natural" state for humans in the C-137 dimension (and most of the Central Finite Curve).
It adds a layer of subconscious discomfort. We are used to seeing round pupils. When we see something jagged, our brains register it as "wrong" or "damaged." It perfectly matches the show’s tone: everything is a little bit broken.
Why Other Shows Don't Do This
Most animation studios avoid this because it’s a nightmare for consistency. If you're using a "puppet" style of animation (where you build a character once and just move their limbs), having a non-symmetrical pupil means you have to be careful every time the character looks in a different direction.
Rick and Morty uses a mix of Toon Boom Harmony (the industry standard for "puppet" animation) and bespoke, hand-drawn frames. Because they lean so heavily into custom drawings for every weird alien and background character, they can afford to keep the pupils messy.
Does it Mean Anything?
Fans have spent years coming up with deep-lore theories about the Rick and Morty eyeballs. Some think it represents the "inkblot" nature of reality. Others suggest it's because the characters are constantly exposed to interdimensional radiation.
The boring (but real) answer? It’s just style.
Dan Harmon and the writing team generally avoid making "meta" explanations for why the art looks the way it does. In the multiverse, some people have telepathic spiders in their hair, and some people have asterisk pupils. It’s just the way the universe is cooked.
How to Spot a "Fake" Rick and Morty Style
If you ever see fan art or knock-off merchandise where the eyes have perfect, smooth black circles, it usually looks "off." That's because the wobbly pupil is the anchor of the whole character design.
- The Shake: The lines should never look like they were drawn with a steady hand.
- The Size: The pupils are usually quite small compared to the huge, white "sclera" (the white part of the eye). This creates that "thousand-yard stare" look.
- The Expression: Because the pupils are so small, the characters' eyelids do most of the emotional heavy lifting.
Basically, the design is built to make everyone look like they are three seconds away from a panic attack.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Artists
If you're a creator or just a hardcore fan trying to understand the visual language of the show, keep these points in mind.
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- Embrace the Imperfect: The "fuzzyball" pupil proves that your art doesn't have to be technically "perfect" to be iconic. Sometimes, the "mistake" becomes the brand.
- Context over Logic: There is no scientific reason for the eye shape in the show's lore. Don't look for one. It’s a stylistic choice that prioritizes the "vibe" of the show over biological accuracy.
- Watch the Pupils for Clues: If a character's pupils suddenly become perfect circles, pay attention. The showrunners often use changes in the "fuzzyball" to signal that something is wrong with a character's mind or identity.
Next time you're watching an episode, keep a close eye on Jerry. His pupils are usually the wobbiest, which says a lot about his mental state.
To see this design in its most primitive form, you can still find the original Doc and Mharti shorts online—just be warned, they are significantly more "unfiltered" than what you see on TV.